In hir one to be knytte,

Godhed, maydenhed, and manne.
Bot of his werke grete witnes was
With forme-ffaders, all folke may telle,
Whan Jacob blyst his sone Judas,
He told þe tale paim two emell;

NON AUFERETUR S[C]EPTRUM DE JUDA,
[DONEC] UENIAT QUI MITTENDUS EST.
He sais pe septer sall noght passe
Fra iuda lande of Israell,

Or he comme þat god ordand has

To be sente, feendis force to fell.

ET IPSE ERIT EXPECTACIO GENCIUM.

Hym sall alle folke abyde,

And stand vn-to his steuen,

Ther sawes wer signified

To crist, goddis sone in heuen.

For howe he was sente, se we more,

And howe god wolde his place puruay,
He saide, sonne, I sall sende byfore

Myne Aungell to rede pe thy way.

ECCE MITTO ANGELUM MEUM ANTE FA-
CIEM TUAM QUI PREPARABIT VIAM TUAM
ANTE TE.

Of John Baptist he menyd þore,

For in erthe he was ordand ay,

To warne pe folke þat wilsom wore

Of Cristis comyng, and þus gon say:

EGO QUIDEM BAPTIZO IN AQUA VOS AUTEM
BAPTIZABIMINI SPIRITU SANCTO.

110

115

120

125

after 112 DONEC] so K, omit MS, S To sende H feendis] the feendis H K

116 To be sente ]

[44a] Eftir me sall come nowe

130

135

140

A man of myghtis mast,
And sall baptis zowe

In the high haly gast.

pus of cristis commyng may we see
How sainte Luke spekis in his gospell:
Fro god in heuen es sente, says he,
An aungell is named Gabriell

To Nazareth in Galale,

Where pan a mayden mylde gon dwell,
Þat with Joseph suld wedded be,

Her name is Mary, þus gan he telle.
To god his grace þan grayd

To man in þis manere,

And how pe Aungell saide,

Takes hede, all þat will here.

Tunc cantat angelus.

145 Ang[elus]: Hayle, Marie! full of grace and blysse,

150

155

Oure lord god is with þe,

And has chosen þe for his;

Of all women blist mot pou be. Maria: What maner of halsyng is þis, pus preuely comes to me?

For in myn herte a thought it is,

Þe tokenyng þat I here see,

Tunc cantat angelus, Ne timeas Maria.

Ang[elus]: Ne drede pe noght, þou mylde marie,

For no-thyng þat may be-falle,

For pou has fun soueranly

At god a grace ouer othir all.

130 myghtis] so Hall, myghtist MS, S

131 sall sall he K

after 144 stage direction] here and elsewhere in a 16th cent, hand 145 Angelus ] here & hereafter such abbreviations are expanded without further note.

149 is say, is H

146 is] he is K

147 has] he has K 150 comes] that comes K

In chastite of thy bodye

Consayue and bere a childe pou sall;
This bodword brynge I þe, forthy
His name Jesu sall pou calle.

Mekill of myght þan sall he bee,

He sall be God and called God sonne.
Dauid sege, his fadir free,

Sall God hym giffe to sytte vppon;

160

[44 b]

Als kyng for euer regne sall hee,

165

In Jacob house ay for to wonne.
Of his kyngdome and dignite

[Sall] noo man erth[e]ly knaw ne con.

Maria: pou goddis aungell, meke and mylde,
Howe sulde it be, I the praye,
That I sulde consayve a childe

Of any man by nyght or daye?

I knawe no man þat shulde haue fyled
My maydenhode, the sothe to saye:
Withouten will of werkis wilde,

In chastite I haue ben ay.

Ang[elus]: The Halygast in þe sall lighte,
Hegh vertue sall to be holde,
The holy birthe of the so bright,
God sonne he sall be calde.

Loo! Elizabeth, pi cosyne, ne myght

In elde consayue a childe for alde; pis is be sexte moneth full ryght, To her þat baran has ben talde.

170

175

180

syr, I K
180 sonne] sonne, forsothe K
omit K ne] omit K

162 sonne] son MS

margin sall] shall S MS erthely] erthly MS S

168 inserted by a late hand in the

170 11 181 Loo]

182 for alde] ful balde K

185 Maria: Thou aungell, blissid messanger, Of goddis will I holde me payde,

190

I love my lorde with herte dere.
Þe grace þat he has for me layde—
Goddis handmayden, lo! me here
To his wille all redy grayd-

Be done to me of all manere,

[45 a] Thurgh thy worde als pou hast saide.

195

200

205

[Scene 2]

Now God, þat all oure hope is in,
Thur[gh] the myght of þe haly gaste,
Saue pe, dame, fro sak of synne,
And wisse þe fro all werkis wast!
Elyzabeth, myn awne cosyne,
Me thoght I coveyte alway mast
To speke with þe of all my kynne,
Therfore I comme pus in þis hast.

Eliz[abeth]: Welcome, mylde Marie!
Myne aughen cosyne so dere,
Joiful woman am I,

Þat I nowe see þe here.
Blissid be pou anely

Of all women in feere,
And pe frute of thy body
Be blissid ferre and nere!

pis is ioyful tydyng

210

Þat I may nowe here see

187 dere] full dere H

188 be grace] for be grace H

193-196 S assigns to Ang., and divides the scenes at l. 197. No such assignment appears in MS, and there is no division into scenes.

Thurgh] Thur MS

195 of] and K

194

þe modyr of my lord kyng

Thus-gate come to me.

Sone als þe voyce of pine haylsing

Moght myn neres entre and be, pe childe in my wombe so yenge

Makes grete myrthe vnto þe Maria Nowe lorde, blist be pou ay! For the grace pou has me lente; Lorde I lofe þe god verray,

pe sande pou hast me sente.

I panke þe nyght and day,

And prayes with good entente

215

220

pou make me to thy paye,

To be my wille is wentte.

Eliz[abeth]: Blissid be pou grathely grayed

To god thurgh chastite,

pou trowed and helde pe payed

At his wille for to bee.

All þat to be is saide

Fro my lorde so free,

Swilke grace is for pe layde,

Sall be fulfilled in þe.

Maria: [T]o his grace I will me ta,

With chastite to dele,

þat made me pus to ga

Omange his maidens fele.

My saule sall louying ma
Vn-to pat lorde so lele,
And my gast make ioye alswa

In god þat es my hele.

212 come] is come K be] so S, MS reads: alway to be For þe H

tunc cantat Magnificat.

213 Sone] omit K
219 Lorde] omit K

230 lorde] lorde god K 236 fele ] feele MS, fele S Written in a late hand

[To S

216 vnto
220 þe]

233 To] o MS, after 240 tunc cantat]

[45b]

225

230

235

240